Brinkmann 810-7080-8 Gourmet Electric Smoker and Grill with Vinyl Cover, Red

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Average Customer Rating:	4.5
Brand:	Brinkmann
Model:	810-7080-8
Color:	Red
Weight:	33 pounds
Dimensions:	17 inches x 17 inches x 35 inches [Width x Length x Height]

Product Categories

Patio, Lawn & Garden; Brinkmann Company; Metal

Product description

- Double grill electric smoker, tall size, with front hinged door - Converts easily to an electric grill - Separate base pan design for easy set-up - Base pan houses 1500-watt electric heating element and lava rocks - Two chrome-plated steel grills for 50 lb. cooking capacity - Wooden handles - Porcelain-coated steel water pan - UL listed - Red - Vinyl cover included

Features

UL-listed electric smoker and grill with stay-cool wooden handles

2 chrome-plated steel cooking grills can hold up to 50 pounds of food

Base contains a 1500-watt heating element and lava rocks; dome lid

Front-hinged door; porcelain-coated steel water pan; vinyl cover included

Measures 17 by 17 by 35 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Customer reviews

« Simple fire-and-forget smoking »

I've had mine for a year, and love it. It was cheap, easy and gets used all the time. It's pretty foolproof. Didn't have any of the paint problems that someone complained of. The smoker gets certainly hot enough (unsure why folks complain that this is a problem, unless they have a defective unit), as you don't want to cook the meat quickly, or the smoke won't penetrate. For the price definitely get it. Make sure to get the cover if it isn't in the box (some come with some don't) if you live anywhere there is rain, as rain + smoke/ash lead to rapid corrosion. Make sure this thing is WELL vented, as it produces unbelievable amounts of smoke if used correctly. For a big smoke, as someone noted you have to add more wood (depends on the chunk size). They note in the manual that you should not have the chunks touch the heater, so take care in placing the chunks.

PROS:
Lightweight, make sure to get cover for it.
very inexpensive
super simple (put in wet wood, put in liquid, put in meat, plug in, repeat)
produces gobs of smoke (make sure no air intakes for your house are nearby, you only do that once!)
nice big fluid bowl
2 racks, each capable of holding a big turkey (I've done 2x19lbs)
Electric works when it's cold and it doesn't run out in the middle of a big cooking session, unlike propane (pure wood smokers have this advantage if you have a big wood pile)
Easy cleaning
Nice side door for adding the odd chunk of wood

CONS:
Ash builds up quickly on the lava rocks, which after a long while will start to float (I've taken to periodically rinsing the rocks in a colander)
There is no smokestack, so smoke comes out on all sides of the top (just be aware)
This is more a mild hard smoke (moderate heat, mostly smoke), particularly if it's cold out (this can be a plus with fish - it produces awe inspiring smoked salmon)
Times in manual virtually useless (so spend a few bucks a get a remote grilling thermometer, problem solved)

HOW I USE IT:
My local oil/ice company here in Boston sells smoking woods (I get 50lbs bags of hickory and mesquite at home depot and cherry and apple at the ice place, all 4 last one season). Take a few chunks and soak them for an hour or 2 (if you need faster smoking, start with one simply rinsed one which will start smoking in minutes)

Smoked Salmon:
Get big salmon fillets at costco. Rinse the fish to get anything off, and to make spices stick. Look for bones at this point. Pack in Pepper, Dill, Lemon Zest and about 1/4" of kosher salt. Seal it up in the fridge overnight. About 1-2 hours start smoking with either apple or hickory. Rinse the fish REALLY well to get off the salt or it will be WAY to salty. Reapply dill, zest and pepper (there is NO need for salt again - trust me), With a remote thermometer in the thick part of the fish, put a bottle of beer in the liquid bowl, slap it on the top rack with some 1/2 lemons (smoked lemon rocks). Somewhere in the 130 range the fish is done (remember it is salt cured, so it can take a lower temp) but feel free to adjust to taste. Most folks say this beats store bought smoked salmon.

Tequilla-Lime Smoked Chicken Tacos:
Get boneless breasts. Rinse, place in big ziploc with tequila, lime juice, lime wedges, a little salt and pepper, chili pepper overnight in fridge. This is slightly ceviche'd at this point. Don't rinse off chicken. Put wet mesquite chunks in the smoker, add beer to the bowel (a corona or other mexican beer to be authentic) then place chicken on racks (I end up filling up most of both racks). Somewhere between 1-2 hours, check the meat temp (unlike the fish, make it 170+, this is chicken!). Let it rest for a few minutes, then shred to make tacos. It can be easy to over dry the meat, so watch closely. Remember it will be pink on the meat, this is the "smoke line"

Rating: (5 out of 5) @ 2008-11-27

« Got A Better Price On This At Home Depot »

I picked one up today at my local Home Depot for $59.90. Did not come with cover but I have seen these at Ace Hardware for $14.99. I had been using a Smokey Joe Electric Smoker but this model uses water pan which I prefer.

Rating: (4 out of 5) @ 2008-04-23

« great starter smoker »

This is a great smoker for casual users. I got one for my birthday last year, and I love not having to monitor charcoal levels and heat. As mentioned by another reviewer, adding a thermometer to it is a must do upgrade. There is a lot of slop in how it fits together, but the results are still good.

Another good accessory purchase is a rib rack, so you can stack ribs vertically and smoke more of them at one time.

As a rule, I smoke meats for 7-8 hours for each inch of meat. Ribs and whole chickens turn out really well. Briskets are good too but you have to smoke them longer the thicker they are. everything tends to stay moister when it's on the bottom rack as opposed to the top rack.

One more thing to keep in mind is that this pulls about 12 amps, so it can easily overload and trip a typical 15 amp circuit if you have another medium (or even a low )amperage device when the smoker is on. I've done this a couple of times, and now I make sure it's on a circuit by itself when running.

Rating: (4 out of 5) @ 2007-09-15

« I'm gonna buy it, My friend owns one. »

I don't own one yet; But I am buying one this week! Although I am a diehard amazon customer. I am NOT buying it here cause LOWES regular price is "half" what it is here. My friend has owned his for a couple of years & loves it. I have had some food from it & it was so moist & flavorful. I'd recommend it, BUT I would probably check around to see if it's cheaper in your area.

Rating: (5 out of 5) @ 2007-02-17

« Stands the test of time »

I purchased one of these back in the early 90s, so I've been smoking on it for close to 14 years. I also smoke on a gas grill and I've experimented with plain wood smoking. The Brinkmann electric is a great option if you don't want to have to babysit the smoker. I've done a couple of turkeys on it, fairly large briskets, the Thanksgiving sweet potatoes as well as other vegetables, cheeses, elk and beef roasts and probably hundreds of racks of ribs. I live in California, so I can smoke all year round. If you live where the weather is more severe and you want to smoke all year round, you'll probably need something with a thicker shell or a hotter heat source or both. Regarding Turkeys... Even where I live, Turkeys can be a challenge in the winter. They will cook, but because of the high internal temperature required, be prepared to do some waiting; you'll also probably have to refill the water pan at least once. And make sure you use a short extension cord (or better yet, none at all).

The electric element on mine just died , but I can't complain considering how many miles (and years) I've put on it. The rest of it's in pretty good shape (the grids are a bit worn, but I got replacements on clearance at WalMart at the end of summer), so I'll probably replace the element rather than the smoker.